


Love Letters Lost to the Wind

by kaleidobubble



Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series), Karate Kid (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Based on a Taylor Swift Song, Bittersweet, F/M, Friendship/Love, Longing, Lost Love, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Reminiscing, Season 3 Spoilers, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:15:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29955990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaleidobubble/pseuds/kaleidobubble
Summary: She loves, loses, and leaves him in three parts. The lines between are perhaps a little blurrier than she remembers
Relationships: Daniel LaRusso/Amanda LaRusso(mentioned), Kumiko/Daniel LaRusso
Comments: 10
Kudos: 11





	1. for the hope of it all

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on "august" by Taylor Swift

**Tokyo, Winter 1985**

_Salt air and the rust on your door_

Homesickness for the sharp taste of seaside air and sparkling blue waters sat heavy in her soul. For summers spent with the wind blowing by her cheeks, sand and grass slipping under her feet as she sprinted down the limestone cliffs of Shō Hashi beach, the dewy air settling against her skin at night, enveloping her in a warm embrace.

A creak in the dark of a rusted sheet-metal door flitted across her memory along with the wisps of steam rising from a tea-filled chawan, hot and smooth against her fingers as she glided through the steps of chanoyu _,_ carefully pouring herself into each delicate movement, baring her young heart in the truest way she knew how. Her hands never shook, never faltered under the gaze of the boy sitting in front of her.

  
  


_I never needed anything more_

They were certainly shaking now though, and Kumiko shoved them into her coat pockets as she hurried through the ice-coated city streets, her breath curling in puffs of white smoke around her as she made her way back to the dorm

Dance school was everything she’d dreamed it would be and more. But she wasn’t always entirely sure how she felt about _more_.

She loved what she was learning here, captivated by each new piece of choreography. She worked hard, staying long hours in the studio, running through her routines until the music echoing off the auditorium walls swelled through her, matching the rhythm of her heartbeat as she swayed across the floor. Until it was as though she were dancing on clouds and stars, graceful as a sago palm drifting in the wind, just as she had dreamed of as a little girl. 

A thrilling new surety soon settled in her bones this had always been what she was made to do. 

And then, there was the sense of sisterhood, of community among her fellow dancers, assuring her with enthusiastic, encouraging smiles that this was where she belonged. 

But when the music stopped and the studio lights turned down, the magic dimmed along with it, leaving Kumiko to wipe the sweat from her brow, standing alone in a cold, echoing dance hall.

And though it went mostly unspoken, threaded between the affable smiles and kind words of her troupe members lurked a fierce edge of competition. It ran beneath her feet like a snake in the grass. Everyone here wanted to be the best, and as much as they enjoyed one another’s company, it never dulled the cutthroat race to the top.

As the weeks rolled by, Kumiko soon found herself swept up and spinning in an endless whirlwind from one dance to the next, vying to impress and be singled out by her instructors while still working seamlessly as a unit with her troupe, proving she deserved to be here and yet still struggling just to keep up.

_Everything is always so fast-paced here_ , she would think. Not just in the studio but all throughout the city; the never-ending bustle of multicolored lights and beeping streetcars, the thrum of the bullet train beating like the rapid pulse of Tokyo itself. 

Time never seemed to slow down. 

And despite the exhilarating thrill, the promise of adventure it had brought upon her arrival, Kumiko often longed for the comfort and serenity of home. For the solace of Auntie Yukie’s voice and the ease of Daniel-san’s smile.

She often awoke in the night, flashes in her mind's eye of a glaring spotlight on her face, empty stages and watching, waiting eyes spanning out before her. Her mind and body empty of rhythm and painfully out of sync. The nightmares were getting worse, and Kumiko soon realized she hadn’t felt this alone since her parents had died. At night, she cried softly into her pillow, just as she had all those years ago, wishing there was somebody to hold her hand. 

  
  


_But I can see us lost in the memory_

  
  


Guilt intermixed with the storm of emotions tumbling through her chest when she thought about it, because as much as she had dreamed of this, as much as she still wanted it, it didn’t have to be this way.

They had a plan, a plane ticket, and a few months to wait.

But then, a once-in-a-lifetime letter came in the mail with _Hijikata Tatsumi Dance Company_ elegantly emblazoned across the front in swirling black ink, and for the second time in one year, magic seemed to drop from the sky, presenting her with a choice to make. 

She made a call to America. 

Daniel-san picked up after the first ring.

_“I was accepted-,” she told him tentatively over the phone, “-into the best dance company in Tokyo.”_

_She wasn’t sure what she meant by all of this, wasn’t sure if she was going. She had hoped she’d know once he picked up the phone._

_But by way of some sort of explanation, words began tumbling from her mouth in a nervous ramble, about the honor_ _of the opportunity, detailing the prestigious butoh and ballet programs offered, and how unexpected it all had been._

_The other end of the line was quiet for a long time._

_The smallest, most cowardly part of her, tucked away in the corner of her mind where she kept things hidden even from herself, wanted him to object. To say, “No, please don’t go.” To reason with her until she promised to come to America.To him._

But of course, he hadn’t. And Kumiko never expected he would. She knew his heart far better than that _._

_“That’s terrific!” he said instead. She could hear the sincerity of his words._

_“I’m really happy for you.” She could also hear the hurt. His voice distinctly pinched and halted, even over the crackling telephone connection. “So, that’s it then, huh?”_

_His tone had shifted slightly, growing, not cold, but clipped and sunken with defeat in a way she barely recognized. “I...I hope I’ll see you around.”_

For as well as Kumiko may have known his heart, she hadn’t been nearly so well acquainted with his head, as it hit her far too late, he’d jumped to the conclusion she’d already made her decision.

_In the moment, she had been so stunned, she barely managed to say anything but a quick ”Hai” and utter a polite goodbye, with a rapid inexplicable sinking in her chest._

Daniel-san had already fought for her life. He’d done more than enough fighting for her and didn’t owe it to her to ask again. But within a matter of minutes, she was suddenly no longer sure if she’d ever see him again.

The line clicked dead, her heart along with it, and Kumiko sat there for a long time, a puddle of conflicted emotions on her bedroom floor. 

For years to come, she would question whether she should have called him again. Whether she should have said something, done something, fought just a little bit harder. Wonder why she had let one fleeting moment of uncertainty rewrite her fate.

Auntie Yukie hadn’t said much. Just held her hand for a while before padding to the kitchen to make a batch of sweet potato manju, because it always made Kumiko feel better when she was young.

  
  


_Will you call when you're back at school? I remember thinkin' I had you._

  
  


Even without any parting words, with no final goodbyes, no apologies, or promises to keep in touch, hanging up the phone had felt like the end. She hadn’t so much as given him a mailing address to send letters or postcards, but that didn’t stop her from checking her mail at least twice a day. 

_He could still call Auntie Yukie and ask,_ she would reason, though she knew in her heart that was a foolish way to think.

All she could do now was selfishly cling to the hope that the magic bestowed upon her this summer had not yet run out.

_Back when we were still changin' for the better_

Daniel-san had crash-landed into her life and lit it up with hope and possibility. In him, she had found a heart like her own. Only his shone brilliantly and beat ardently in a way she’d never thought possible. 

Whether or not he was the strongest, he always fought the hardest for what he knew was right, and he loved those around him earnestly and unabashedly, like an open flame. He radiated light and warmth in a way that made her want to bask in the glow of him forever. 

Because although Kumiko had plenty of fire herself, it sat like quiet candlelight behind her eyes, struggling at times, to reach out as far as she may have liked.

Together, they were two dancing flames. He had only kindled hers to glow golden, made her want to stand a little taller and braver.

And she knew she brought something out in him too. When his own fire blazed too furiously, when it roared too loudly until it ricocheted back to burn him, she could settle the flames and slow them down, remind him to bear a little less of the world’s weight on his own shoulders.

They had discovered something invaluable and irreplaceable in one another. And Kumiko knew that would always stay with her, no matter where he was. 

_Back when I was livin' for the hope of it all_

“It is only your first semester,” her troupe members would say. “It is normal to long for home, but give it time, you will feel better soon.”

And Kumiko supposed they were right. Even if the frigid weather caused her hands to shake and her teeth to chatter, the snow glistened like its own sort of starlight, twinkling as it fell. 

As much as she missed Daniel-san’s warmth, as many times as she saw his face in passing cars, and recognized him in strangers’ laughter, there was still a world out there to brave with all the courage he had left her with.

So she tucked all of her love and hope for safekeeping in the confines of her heart and did just that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before I go to town writing fluffy canon-divergent Damiko one-shots, I felt the need to make sense of what happened before delving into what could have been.
> 
> Credit for the use of this song goes to a post on Tumblr that I can’t for the life of me find again, that said “august” and “the 1” made excellent Daniko songs
> 
> Thank you so very much for reading! Comments and constructive criticism are always deeply appreciated. Hope you're having a lovely day! And if not, I hope it gets better <3 <3


	2. it's been so long

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on “right where you left me” by Taylor Swift

**_Tomi Village Green, Okinawa, Summer 2019_ **

_Pages turn and stick to each other_

By the time this mysterious ocean of fate had docked his ship into her harbor once more, it was summer once again. The snow melted and the storms weathered, their coming of age, long come and gone.

Much had changed since that one momentous summer so long ago, but so many other things, she soon found, had not.

The rhythm of the shime-daiko carried over the busy crowd, thrumming under her feet as it guided her steps across the platform, her hands drifting through motions that had long since been ingrained in her bones. 

Kumiko watched her students with careful eyes, her movements slow and deliberate, for them to mimic until the final note rang clear through the air. She gave them a knowing smile, her heart full and her face beaming with pride before turning back to their audience.

With only a week to prepare, her students had done so well. They were a group of fast learners.

The familiar bustle of the crowded strip mall and the applause of tourists and locals alike stretched out before them, sprinkled with cheers and polite expressions of appreciation.

She lead her students with a gracious bow, thanking the audience for their time. 

Even after so many years, standing at the end of a stage, looking out into the crowd after a performance still felt like standing before the ocean, humbled by the vastness before her, a sense of connection and distance all the same.

Gone was the paralyzing anxiety of her youth and her first few years on stage. Kumiko had carved her home here amidst nameless smiles and pleasant cheers, and whether in a packed theater or a bustling shopping center, it made little difference to her anymore. 

As the assembly of onlookers began to dissipate, her gaze passed over the plaza, until the sun rays tilted at just the right angle, where dark feathery hair and deep brown eyes caught the light, drawing her gaze to him in the crowd.

He was older now, of course, they both were. But she knew from the moment she caught his eyes, open, attentive, and so full of life.

Kumiko’s heart stilled in her chest and his name tumbled from her lips in a breathless whisper.

A gasp of amazement slipping past her as the world seemed to shift and realign under her feet.

“Akisamiyoo.” 

  
  


_Wages earned and lessons learned_

_But I’m right where you left me_

Swallowing her bewilderment as best she could, she invited Daniel-san to join her for tea. Elation and slight uncertainty stirring within her as she quickly gathered her things and turned to leave the plaza, side by side with him for the first time in over thirty years.

It warmed something inside her to find his sense of humor had remained the same. Her laughter came just as easily. 

Conversation flowed between them as though the glacier of thirty years’ time had frozen nothing. Any residual ice quickly crumbled and thawed with the steam of the teapot between them, and soon she was recounting her adventures, eager to share with him just as she would an old friend.

She told him of her travels all across the world, of Sydney and Paris, and watching the Cranberries open for Radiohead. 

And when the conversation dipped into a more melancholy tone, she felt no hesitancy or fear in confiding her auntie’s memory. Daniel-san had known her Auntie Yukie, known how much she loved her.

And intermingling with his sympathy, she noted the somber understanding in his eyes, the loss of Miyagi-san glowing faintly, but ever-presently behind them. Despite everything, it drew a comforting warmth to settle next to that particular ache in her heart.

  
  


_And you’re sitting in front of me_

As she’d traveled the world with a constant stream of new faces whirling in and out of her life, there had been a few who had set their sights on her and decided to try for her heart. They came and went, and a couple had even come close. 

But for one reason or another, any future she may have begun to build with someone else by her side had simply unraveled before it could truly begin. 

Though she didn’t tell Daniel-san- or perhaps she did, in her own small way- that none of them had taken up permanent residence in her heart, lingering long-cherished and protected from the tumultuous winds of time like an omamori charm, nestled in fondness and gratitude, committed to irreplaceable memory, the way he was. 

  
  


_At the restaurant, when I was still the one you want_

_Cross-legged in the dim light, everything was just right_

She had gone and seen the world, made friends and collected memories she wouldn’t trade for anything.

But sitting here, across from him at the table with the heat of a porcelain teacup pressed into the palm of her hand, the inkling of hope she had tucked away so long ago glimmered like a single candle in the dark. 

And a small part of her was seventeen years old once more, sitting in the dim light of that canary, her hands steady and her heart fluttering as she carried through the steps of chanoyu, while the boy she was falling in love with- this reckless, honest-hearted, wonderful boy- watched her with bright, curious eyes, his gaze flitting between her hands and her face but never leaving her.

And those same eyes watched her now, looking at her like a puzzle he had yet to complete, the lines between 3 minutes and 30 years beginning to blur ever so slightly.

Her hands did not shake then and they did not now as she poured him another cup of tea. 

She hadn’t realized the type of tea until this moment.

_Matcha,_ noted the young girl inside her.

The young girl in the back of her mind, holding to the faintest whisper of hope, that when she asked him why he had _really_ come back to Okinawa...he might say it was for her. 

  
  


_I'm sure that you got a wife out there, kids and Christmas_

Instead, he said, “I got my dream too you know. I have an incredible family... ”

_Ah, yes of course._ Time settled back into place then. A free agent he may have been all those years ago, but she had hardly expected him to stay that way. Daniel-san was always his best when he had people around him to care for.

_Two children,_ as he would tell her later, a daughter and a son. Samantha and Anthony, his pride and joy. 

It truly delighted her to hear. She wondered if they had his easy smile, his expressive eyes, with so much capacity for light, and hope, and wonder, that there was never any room left for hidden schemes or insincerity. 

She hoped they did.

  
  


_'Cause I'm right where I cause no harm, mind my business_

The irony wasn’t lost on her. 

Neither was the reason her Auntie Yukie had wanted so much for her to get married, hoping to shield her dear niece from growing content with the heartache of a lifetime spent waiting and waiting, longing and hoping, and never truly knowing. 

But deep inside, Kumiko knew her heart had boarded a plane to America and left her long ago. She suspected Auntie Yukie knew too.

After all, she’d watched it all play out with her own eyes once before. A fairytale of lost love reunited, of insurmountable odds surmounted, heroic battles waged and won. Was it so wrong to hope lightning might strike the same place twice?

But she could see in his eyes that her hero had since grown battle-weary and tired. As he confessed his plight, the storm clouds of present-day rolled in over this little dreamlike haven they’d built on memories long left behind. 

His shoulders now sloped and heavy with his troubles, his voice twisted and strained with the weight of it as he spoke. 

It saddened her to see. 

Daniel-san had always been too good. Rushing in headfirst to fix everyone’s broken pieces back together, even when he hadn’t the slightest idea to fit them back into place. Often armed with nothing but his stubborn determination and good intentions.

She remembered how he loathed feeling helpless and how often that got him into trouble. He’d find himself swept up in storms he wouldn’t know how to navigate, and now, without Miyagi-san to turn to, it would seem he’d gotten lost.

He hadn’t come back for her. He’d come back to find his way. 

Kumiko realized then, that though her chance to live out a kind of fairytale-like ending in which she rushed into her hero’s arms to live happily ever after had long passed, perhaps this was instead a chance to save him in return.

  
  


_If our love died young, I can't bear witness,_

Daniel-san had wished for Miyagi-san to still be here, to guide him through difficult times. So she brought him back to a place she knew his presence lived most.

Her Auntie Yukie’s house had been vacant for many years, but Kumiko doubted she would ever find the heart to sell it, or simply rent it out to another tenant. The idea of her childhood home hosting someone else’s memories caused a tightness in her chest she was unable to shake.

So she visited every weekend as though her auntie still lived here, to maintain the house and take comfort in the childhood memories that still echoed in the hallways and rustled amid the gardens.

But tonight, as nighttime fell and the porchlights cast a warm, intimate haze over the world once more, the sakura trees stretching tall into the sky, even she felt a bit as though they were treading on sacred ground. 

She found Auntie Yukie’s box of letters where she had left them, tucked away in the bedroom. 

Kumiko had gifted this box to her auntie to hold Miyagi-san’s letters. It sat next to her bed for years, for Kumiko to read aloud to her auntie when her eyesight had weakened and she could no longer read them herself.

She hadn’t been sure what to do with them after her auntie’s passing. It would have felt wrong to burn them, leaving their love story to die with them as if her auntie didn’t still live and breathe in everything around her, but it felt wrong to bring them home, as though this piece of the story was not hers to take. So she left them here where the spirit of their love had always been strongest.

Setting the box down on the table between them, she cast Daniel-san a hopeful smile. She thought it might be good for him to hear Miyagi-san’s voice once again.

As she explained to him the box’s contents, giggling at his surprise, she picked one up to read it aloud.

Her voice wavered, almost imperceptibly as she breathed life into the words Miyagi-san had written for her auntie. “One good thing came out of our time apart: I got to fall in love with you twice in one lifetime.” 

She met Daniel-san’s eyes, everything she would never be able to say with her own words swirling to the surface, sparkling just behind her expression, grateful when he didn’t seem to notice. She remembered reading this one to her auntie, recalling just how extraordinary of a man her auntie had loved. 

As she placed it back into the box, she mused to herself, perhaps Auntie Yukie had known those were the words she needed to hear.

And Daniel-san soon found the ones he had needed to hear, written a week before Miyagi-san’s death. 

This one was new to her. Auntie Yukie must have read it herself. 

As she read the letter aloud, each word tied a weight around her heart. It pulled but did not bruise, nor did it turn bitter.

Instead, it was a blissful ache that wrapped itself around her heart as it swelled with joy, to know Daniel-san has been so loved. To know how loved he and Miyagi-san both were; by each other, and by those around them. And she understood a little better, how precious and true of a bond they shared.

It would seem that Daniel-san understood better now too.

They were both choking on tears now, not of sorrow or loss, but of relief, astonishment, and hope.

Kumiko realized she hadn’t known just how much Daniel-san missed him until she watched the light slowly return to his eyes. The pain and confusion etched into his features since earlier this morning washed away as Miyagi-san’s wisdom once again brought him much-needed peace.

Afterward, she gifted the letters to him, knowing now, where they belonged.

  
  


_And it’s been so long_

As she stepped out of the bar the next day, leaving Daniel-san behind with Chozen, she found herself wanting to laugh, perhaps even cry just a little. She did neither, turning briskly down the corner towards the cafe down the street. 

She hadn’t lied. She still had important business to attend to. A lunch date with another old friend, and a favor to ask.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This entire fic was originally going to be solely based on “right where you left me” and be one single chapter, but this version came to fruition after that tumblr post.  
> Hope you all enjoyed!  
> Comments and constructive criticism are always appreciated, I love hearing from you guys! <3 <3


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